It feels a bit obvious that Apple would want to include some sort of DRM on iPad books purchased through the iTunes store. The interesting bit is that it appears that publishers will have the option of choosing whether to use Apple's FairPlay DRM technology or to keep their ebooks DRM-free. Even though the format…

Condensed explanation: Digital rights management is a corporate pain in the ass that stops you from doing whatever you want with music and movies in the name of fighting piracy. But there's more to it.

Norway is ostensibly big on neutrality, even when it gets them invaded and pulverized, so it's not surprisingly it hates Apple's FairPlay DRM, which only lets songs play on iPods. It even has a law requiring that consumers be able to use digital media with whatever device they choose, which FairPlay obviously pees all…

Click to viewApple's Fairplay DRM, which protects all the applications you download from iTunes, has been hacked. The method for hacking this has actually been around for a while, but has been recently applied to Super Monkey Ball and distributed into the wild. To do this, you'll need a jailbroken iPhone and SSH…

Only a few people remember this, but DVD Jon cracked Apple's Fairplay DRM way back in late 2006 and offered it up for companies to purchase the tech and integrate it into their own media files. Now DVD Jon has started his own company called doubleTwist that lets people rip protected iTunes music in order to have those…

Microsoft probably thinks they're making things easier by rebranding its PlaysForSure program as simply "Certified for Windows Vista," the sticker that's slapped on all manner of gear and software. But they're not—they're folding apples into oranges, making for an even bigger flustercuck. Cue confused customers…

By now, you've probably read Steve Jobs's essay, "Thoughts on Music" and had the same warm, fuzzy reaction we did. We're back to our senses (somewhat) and we're here to cut through the afterglow and examine his treatise in detail, since every single word was undoubtedly carefully chosen. So let's jump right in.

Recording Industry Association of America chief Mitch Bainwol had an answer for the lecture to the music industry delivered by Steve Jobs in an open letter earlier this week: More digital rights management, not less. The RIAA czar suggested that Apple should open up its FairPlay DRM technology to all comers—spreading…

Breaking news for you guys. The folks at Tech.co.uk are reporting that Apple will open its FairPlay DRM to companies that are a part of the "Made for iPod" club. If true, this means that you'll be able to play songs you bought on iTunes on certain third party devices like wireless hi-fi systems. The announcement is…